Could Celiac Disease Be the Missing Link?
Celiac disease is a “genetic autoimmune disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food,” according to Beyond Celiac. Many who have this condition don’t experience symptoms until later in life, while others notice them at an early age. The disease can remain dormant for years and not flare up until adulthood or it could be active in the early stages of childhood. The reason for this remains undetermined. This disease can be hard to detect because of the many different symptoms (200+) associated with it that can occur in various parts of the body. Many patients go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, causing other health problems and years of misdiagnoses, all because celiac was the missing link.
There are several signs that could point to celiac disease. Many of those that remain undiagnosed into adulthood, just didn’t see where the signs were pointing. If you have more than one of these symptoms and a family member or members with the condition, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of celiac disease being the missing link. It’s crucial, however, that you DO NOT stop eating gluten before the test; this could give you a false negative.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease in Children
While there are over 200 symptoms that can be indicative of celiac disease, there are several extremely common ones, the presence of which could be cause for alarm.
Gut Reactions
The most common reactions for celiac disease are gut reactions. When these symptoms occur, they point towards food being the cause.
These symptoms can include, but aren’t limited to the following: abdominal pain, bloating, chronic diarrhea, constipation, frequent vomiting, irregular stool (lighter in color, fouler in stench, off consistency), etc. If the doctor can’t find a source and other common elimination-diets haven’t worked (such as dairy), celiac may be your missing link.
Disposition Changes
Celiac disease can also cause problems in your mood and mental state. Undiagnosed celiac disease can cause chronic fatigue, chronic behavioral problems, and frequent irritability.
It can also cause a condition commonly known as “brain fog,” which makes it challenging to think quickly and accurately. This could lean to difficulty in school.
Reactions in Other Parts of the Body
These symptoms are indicative of celiac disease, but they’re also indicative of myriad other conditions, so they often go unnoticed. These symptoms include: weight loss, chronic teeth problems, short stature, delayed or stunted growth, delayed puberty, and signs of malnutrition. If your child has a combination of two or more of these symptoms for a prolonged period of time, especially in combination with one of the other, previously mentioned symptoms, than celiac could be the missing link.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease in Adults
Oftentimes, celiac disease remains undetected until adulthood. If you have the following symptoms, you might want to discuss the possibility of celiac disease being the missing link in your health with your doctor.
Conditions That Can Develop Because of Celiac Disease
There are other conditions that can develop after a lifetime of undiagnosed celiac disease. If you have more than one of these conditions, especially in conjuncture with other symptoms of celiac disease, consult with your doctor about the potential of you having the disease.
The following conditions can develop due to undiagnosed celiac disease: arthritis, unexplained iron-deficiency anemia, osteoporosis, osteopenia, depression, anxiety, liver disorders, biliary tract disorders, peripheral neuropathy, and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Long-Term Symptoms of Celiac Disease
If celiac disease goes undiagnosed well into adulthood, some long-term symptoms may start to crop up. You could experience chronic migraines, seizures, increased risk of miscarriage, infertility, missed menstrual periods, canker sores, bone pain, and joint pain.
Types of Celiac Disease
The World Gastroenterology Organization says that celiac disease can be placed into the types of classical and non-classical.
Classical Celiac Disease
Those with classical celiac disease experience the “symptoms of malabsorption, including diarrhea, steatorrhea (pale, foul-smelling, fatty stools), and weight loss or growth failure in children.” Basically, those with classical celiac disease have a textbook case of it.
Non-Classical Celiac Disease
According to Celiac.org, those with non-classical celiac disease “may have mild gastrointestinal symptoms without clear signs of malabsorption or may have seemingly unrelated symptoms.” They can experience many of the symptoms listed above, as well. They tend to also experience reduced bone mass, increased bone fractures, early menopause, and folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies.
There’s one final type of celiac disease that often goes unnoticed and undiagnosed.
Asymptomatic Celiac Disease
This condition is commonly referred to as silent celiac disease. Despite not experiencing symptoms, those with this condition “still experience villous atrophy damage to their small intestine.” It is because of this that those with first-degree relatives (parents, children siblings) with celiac disease should get screened for at least the gene; they have a one-in-ten risk.
Celiac disease often goes unnoticed or misdiagnosed due to the many different ways it can affect patients. The current estimation is that 80% of those with celiac disease are still undiagnosed. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop suffering and ask your doctor about the potential of celiac disease being the missing link.